NCJ Number
133028
Date Published
1991
Length
22 pages
Annotation
In this examination of the future of juvenile justice, primarily in Europe, this paper considers models of juvenile justice, crime prevention policy, the policy and practice of diversion, assessment for treatment, and methods of evaluation.
Abstract
A critique of the justice and welfare models of juvenile justice favors the justice model because of the unfairness and ineffectiveness of juvenile processing based in rehabilitative goals. The overall trend analysis of the juvenile justice systems in Europe notes that the future of juvenile justice will be affected by major social policy trends; for example, in 1992 Europe will become a single market, and Great Britain will be joined to mainland Europe by a channel tunnel. As national barriers diminish, pressure will increase for harmonious social policies. This will require European agreements on the minimum age for criminal prosecution (most likely 14-15 years old) and agreements on diversion policies (whether at the police or prosecutorial levels). The dismantling of institutions, whether for the mentally ill or criminal, is likely to continue. This will lead to increased diversity of community programs which will be provided increasingly by nonstatutory bodies. Many of these community programs will be low-cost surveillance programs that use staff who are not formally trained as social workers or probation officers. Crime prevention programs and measures will increasingly be the responsibility of affluent private citizens. Security for an older population will become a major preoccupation for governments and may yield harsher punishments for those involved in violent offenses. 44 references